Caregivers often leave home care organizations due to poor communication and scheduling difficulties. Eliminating these stressors should be a top priority for home care administrators, especially considering labor costs can account for 60% of a healthcare organization’s operating budget.
Begin by selecting an intuitive home care software with built-in features that will eliminate these two reasons for caregiver turnover, thereby protecting your organization’s investment and avoiding daily scheduling challenges.
Only by using a caregiver matching feature for smarter home care scheduling will all stakeholders involved be satisfied, helping the scheduler, the caregiver, the client and ultimately, your home care organization.
Help the Scheduler
Not only is scheduling difficult for caregivers, who are expected to remain flexible with a fluctuating work life, but it is also a daunting task for home care schedulers. It is their job to correctly match the right caregiver to the right client at the right time, which can be an arduous task even for seasoned schedulers.
There are many factors a scheduler must always consider, making scheduling akin to a high-stakes game of Tetris. This role must balance client demands and caregiver requests while also maintaining compliance with every visit and legal regulations for employee hours worked.
Providing smart tools for schedulers to succeed at their job is the key to an efficient workflow.
Help the Caregiver
If the quick spread and implementation of predictive scheduling laws are any indication, caregivers want to know their schedules in advance.
The law varies by state and city, but the tenets remain the same: workers making less than a specific pay must be given their schedules days in advance. If that schedule changes, the worker will be compensated.
Preparing caregiver schedules is made easier using a matching criteria feature that completes the effort seamlessly, giving your scheduler more time to coordinate. This advance notice will give caregivers the opportunity to better prepare for client demands, as well as coordinate their personal schedules accordingly.
Help the Client
Caregivers are going into clients’ homes, helping them at their most vulnerable. A client’s comfort level with certain caregivers needs to be considered.
A built-in tool for efficient caregiver scheduling in a home care software is the “Preferences” option, which enables users to schedule caregivers based on the client’s preferences.
There are several factors to consider:
- Personality – Caregivers often work long shifts; personalities need to be harmonious.
- Culture – If a caregiver or client is overly passionate, this can unsettle the other.
- Gender – Clients may not feel comfortable with the opposite or even same gender caring for them and may have a preference.
Assigning clients to caregivers based on client preferences will serve all parties involved.
Help the Home Care Organization
Resolve scheduling frustration through matching criteria. Keeping caregivers informed regularly about upcoming schedules and changes will automatically increase communication, solving the top reason for caregiver turnover.
Another identified cause of caregiver turnover is disorganized management. Take advantage of the efficiency that comes with an intuitive home care software by implementing schedule procedures to ensure that everyone is aligned and that the goal is clear.
Axxess Home Care, a cloud-based home care software, provides built-in matching features to align schedules based on skill, availability and preferences, helping home care organizations provide the best care possible.